November 2012 - the ten week countdown

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/1547119-November-2012-a-couple-of-early-arrivals-please-will-the-rest-stay-put

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passme that was lovely of the kids, and it is good to hear we are awesome. It is easy to forget that sometimes.

DH21 that is a lot of presents! Is there any way you could explain to people that things are tight? I am sure people with new babies do not expect gifts from everyone. How about taking a meal around instead? Or get crafting or jam making?

Detective how about a timer or an alarm clock set to give him a warning of when it's time to leave. If it went of say 15 minutes before he's due to leave the house then he would know to rush about getting himself ready rather than leaving everything to the last minute and being late.

These things always come at once DH. We had worked out how much we need to out aside per month in order just to keep ticking over. Every month has some wee surprise in store though. I think Christmas is going to be a non-event

VQ NEVER forget that you are awesome!!

Stunt I thought about using an alarm, but he needs reminding to do so many things, that I'm not sure it would work? Besides, I already remind him, and that isn't working. He has no ounce of 'rush' about him! Seriously.

Detective I think it's a man thing - I just tell DH we need to leave half an hour before we actually do, and then there may be some chance of him being ready on time...

detective there is probably an app for that sort of thing . I am actually feeling quite proud of my 6yo after hearing about your boy. You could always shave ( or threaten to) his head? That would save a lot of time, and if you put them to bed in their uniform??

At 6 he was very reliable! In fact, at 4 he would get his own breakfast and dress himself with minimal supervision! 8 was a downwards turn point! GRRR!

It definitely changed when me and his dad split up anyway (another thing to beat myself up with no doubt!)

He'd also quite like his head shaved. I'm trying to hold on to his longer hair as long as I can. He suits it! If its short, he looks like his dads side of the family. Not in a good way!!

Going to bed in uniform may help though!!!

detective shave the dog too?

Now that, VQ, is a fabulous idea!

Poor dog! Happy me though ;)

Thanks for the pillowcases brilliant! I have lots of those already so that's good!!

Dh - I guess just buy very small token gifts this year? That's what I'm doing. I spent £6 on my nieces birthday present but shell love it. I plan on doing similar budgets over Xmas and not spending like I normally do. You do need to make sure your ok first. I'm sure you can do cheaper presents than I did or try to bulk buy something from eBay? It's so hard when you feel you have to buy presents! My family are all very generous, dh not so so I never mind as much with them!!

I've only ever spent about £5 per child at christmas. I find the Sainsburys 1/2 price toy sale at the end of October comes in quite handy for bargains!

DH that is an awful lot of people to buy for. If you speak to them and explain money is tight surely they will understand? Can you all agree not to buy for each other or set a price limit? Luckily we cut back at Christmas last year so family won't expect much this year. My parents are happy for me to just buy for my brother and I've said I don't expect anything at all from them but they want to buy for the baby still which is understandable.

Secret Santa? So everyone only buys for one other rather than multiple exchanging? That's what my family tend to do these days. Or one family buy for one other family maybe.

Or you could buy family gifts? I don't buy individual presents for my older brother and his family but I'll get them a tin of chocs and bottle of wine or something as a family gift and he gets me something similar.

What a day!

I'm shattered, DS has been having this sort of treatment for nearly 5 years, in that time he has never batted an eyelid, today he went into complete meltdown. DP had to hold him still in theatre with 4 nurses holding his legs do they could get the gas onto him. He usually had a liquid anaesthetic through a portacath in his chest (again regularly accessed with no problem) but today he screamed and cried do much they couldn't get to it.
They wouldn't let me near him because he was kicking out and the drs didn't want me to get a swift kick in the bump so he was screaming and crying that he was scared and wanted to stop. I was in tears, DP was in tears it was bloody awful.

The procedure itself was fine though, we're back at the local hospital now until tomorrow when we can go home and wait for the results of various tests.

tits that sounds awful :( your poor DS. And poor you, how are you feeling now?

I have managed to pull a muscle turning over in bed - how pathetic is that?!
I turned over and got cramp in both calves, sorted one out ok but could move the other foot at all to try and stretch it out. Eventually managed it but now it still hurts 2 days later. I am officially falling apart!

Hope your DS is ok tits that sounds very upsetting hope tomorrow is a better day

Hope all is ok tits. At least they managed the tests, can't imagine how upsetting it must be.

oh tits how upsetting for you all, I hope everything is ok for you today.

WRT christmas and birthday presents and christening presents, you'll just have to cut back on the budget, it seems daft to spend a massive 50 quid on something when alternativley that might buy you extra time off with the baby. Me and my dh dont buy each other gifts hardly at all, I prefer to be sensible and neither of us seem to mind greatly. if an opertunity arrises for us to have something nice during the year and we can afford it we go for it, birthdyas alwasy seem to land in the same month as something else.

It's Spring here, but wow it feels like full on summer. Time to pack away the duvets, and pull out the fans. I'd like to get some nice chairs to sit on our balcony because it is heaven.

I'm off to do some sewing in a min, I'm doing a matress cover for our bassinett.

I don't mind buying new baby present/ Xmas present but would rather buy one or the other not both. Trouble is I'm going to have this every year now because they'll have birthdays and Xmas so close together, inc my own dd's!

I will def be cutting back and I usually only spend £10 per present at the most. My sister alone has 4 kids so that's £40 at Xmas already.

I'm sure I'll sort something out, I think people forget how many people we have to buy for and so expect presents, esp because there bought one for my child/ren.

I'm not planning on doing Christmas and birthdays this year. My birthday and dh's birthday are both in November and we are both completely fine with not exchanging gifts. I'll get something for 13 yr old ds1 for Christmas but that's it.

tits hope it's all okay today.

tits that is awful for you all. Ultimately you are being kind by having these procedures, but it does not help while it is happening. It is bad enough when DD has bloods taken, so I can only imagine how awful that was for you.

DH21 how about if you and daddy decide to swap vouchers for lay ins, nappy exemption, sex etc. that would actually mean more than a paid-for gift. And limit gifts for kids to £5. If you start buying carefully now, and also through next year in preparation, you can get gifts that look £10. How about your sisters kids - get a pretty cheap basket or box and fill it with sweets, treats, popcorn, hot choc, a kind of treat hamper?

I noticed a £5 present thread the other day, but did not look at it. I am going to hang out on Christmas board for a while as I need to get my finger out.